Natural Grain Leather

ABSTRACT

A leather finishing process in which, in pertinent part, a warm water milling step is added after the base coat is applied to “crust” leather and cured. The warm water contains at least one dye fixation agent including but not limited to about 0.1-2.0% by weight of formic acid. Moreover, the base coat itself is an aqueous base coat containing at least two polymers such as an acrylic salt or a polyurethane salt. Between the polymeric constituents of the base coat, the acid fixation agent, and the use of the warm water milling step after the base coat has been applied and dried, a surprisingly natural feel to the leather is attained without loss of excellent adhesion, wear-resistance and other properties when the leather is completely finished.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/682,689, filed Oct. 9, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/418,785, filed Oct. 15, 2002, the entirecontents of all of said applications is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a new leather manufacturing process which givesan enhanced natural feel to automotive leather without sacrificing wear,abrasion-resistance, adhesion or other qualities essential to satisfyingrigorous automotive leather specifications.

2. Description of Related Art

Leather manufacturing is a technology which has developed over manycenturies using cattle, goat, kid, sheep and lamb hides, and even horse,pig, kangaroo, deer, reptile, seal and walrus, among others. Theproperties of the leather end-product vary depending upon the type ofhide as well as the method used to tan and otherwise to treat and tofinish the hide used to make it. Leather production normally consists ofthree processes, namely, the “beamhouse” processing; tanning; andfinishing. The “beamhouse” process removes dirt and unwantedconstituents of the hide, such as hair. Tanning includes the physicaland chemical processes whereby the collagen of the leather iscrosslinked to stabilize the leather into a permanent material whichwill not putrefy and decompose. Finishing gives the leather theproperties essential for its ultimate use.

Leather is used in an enormous variety of applications, including butnot limited to furniture upholstery, clothing, shoes including athleticshoes, luggage, handbag and accessories and automotive applications,including automotive seating, and instrument panels, door panels andother interior components. Of all the uses of leather, virtually themost difficult durability specifications to meet are those in theautomotive industry, because the life of the leather must be extremelylong in the automotive application while at the same time the leathermust be able to withstand excesses of physical stress, temperatureextremes and sunlight. Traditionally, therefore, automotive leather hasrequired intensive manufacturing treatment, usually with repeatedpolymer coatings during the finishing process, in order to meet theapplicable strength and durability standards.

Unfortunately, the traditional addition of heavy polymer coatings to thesurface of the leather has also altered the natural hand and feel of theleather, so that the most durable leathers for automotive applicationsheretofore also had the poorest aesthetic qualities. Ironically, thesetraditional, heavily coated leathers often resembled, to the discerningtouch, the very vinyl or other leather-substitute materials for whichsatisfactory natural leather replacements were sought. Reducing thenumber of polymer coatings and/or the amounts of polymer applied perlayer can restore natural feel to the leather but then in turn reduceswear-resistance and other strength properties. In view of the aestheticreasons for incorporating leather into automotive interiors in the firstplace, rendering the leather into a seemingly polymeric product iscounterproductive. Therefore, a need remains for a leather manufacturingmethod which can meet strict automotive standards and still retain thehand and feel characteristics of “natural” leather such as aniline andsemi-aniline leather; leather types which heretofore have not hadsufficient light and stain resistance to be used in automotiveapplications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to meet this need, the present invention is a leather finishingprocess in which, in pertinent part, a warm water milling step is addedafter the base coat is applied to “crust” leather. The warm watercontains at least one acid fixation agent such as, without limitation,formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid or hydrochloric acid. The basecoat itself is an aqueous base coat containing at least two polymerssuch as aliphatic polyurethane and acrylic. Ordinarily, in order toobtain an aqueous polymer, such as polyacrylic acid or, for example, adimethylolpropionic acid-containing polyurethane, an amine group isadmixed into the aqueous polymer solution in order to form a salt withthe carboxylic acid group on the polymer molecule. The amine complexeswith the carboxylic acid to form a carboxylic acid salt, thus increasingthe solubility of the associated polymer. In view of the nature of thesolubility of the polymers, it is believed that upon the addition of theacid fixation agent, the carboxyl groups are competitively reassociatedwith hydrogen, due to the excess of hydrogen ions provided by the acid.It is believed, without any intention to be bound by this theory, thatthis competitive reassociation, sometimes called “salting out,” causesthe polymer base coat to precipitate within the crevices of the leather,thus fixing the polymer well within the grain. In view of the polymericconstituents of the base coat, the use of the acid fixation agent, andthe use of the warm water milling step after the base coat has beenapplied and dried, even after subsequent top coating, a surprisinglynatural feel to the leather is attained without loss of excellentadhesion or wear-resistance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-6 are scanning electron micrographs of flat and curved surfacesof three representative samples of different leathers at 1,000×magnification;

FIG. 1 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface of the present leather(“Prestige”);

FIG. 2 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface of the present leather;

FIG. 3 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 4 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface of prior art Nappaleather;

FIG. 5 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 6 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art BlackFurniture leather;

FIGS. 7-12 are scanning electron micrographs of flat and curved surfacesof three representative samples of different leathers at 300×magnification;

FIG. 7 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 8 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of the present leather(“Prestige”);

FIG. 9 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 10 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art Nappaleather;

FIG. 11 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface, and FIG. 12 is aphotomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art Black Furnitureleather;

FIGS. 13-18 are scanning electron micrographs of flat and curvedsurfaces of three representative samples of different leathers at 100×.magnification;

FIG. 13 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 14 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of the present leather(“Prestige”);

FIG. 15 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 16 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art Nappaleather

FIG. 17 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 18 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art BlackFurniture leather;

FIGS. 19-24 are scanning electron micrographs of flat and curvedsurfaces of three representative samples of different leathers at 30×magnification;

FIG. 19 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface, and FIG. 20 is aphotomicrograph of a curved surface, of the present leather(“Prestige”);

FIG. 21 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface, and FIG. 22 is aphotomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art Nappa leather;

FIG. 23 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface, and FIG. 24 is aphotomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art Black Furnitureleather;

FIGS. 25-30 are scanning electron micrographs of flat and curvedsurfaces of three representative samples of different leathers at 10×magnification;

FIG. 25 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 26 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface of the present leather(“Prestige”);

FIG. 27 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 28 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art Nappaleather;

FIG. 29 is a photomicrograph of a flat surface;

FIG. 30 is a photomicrograph of a curved surface, of prior art BlackFurniture leather;

FIG. 31 is a polarized light micrograph of the present leather(“Prestige”) (magnified 141×);

FIG. 32 is a polarized light micrograph of prior art Nappa leather(magnified 141×);

FIG. 33 is a polarized light micrograph of prior art Black Furnitureleather (magnified 141×);

FIG. 34 is a bar graph that illustrates break evaluation data for theleather of the present invention (“Prestige”) as well as prior art Nappaand Furniture leathers, utilizing acoustic emission (AE) technology todetermine the AE energy/count ratio;

FIG. 35 is a bar graph that illustrates tensile strength evaluation dataof the leather of the present invention (“Prestige”) as well as priorart Nappa and Furniture leathers, utilizing AE technology to determinethe tensile strength of the three leathers;

FIG. 36 is a bar graph that illustrates initial strain energy data ofthe leather of the present invention (“Prestige”) as well as prior artNappa and Furniture leathers, utilizing AE technology to determine thesoftness of the three leathers, as well as their resistance to smalldeformations; and

FIG. 37 is a bar graph that illustrates toughness indices of the leatherof the present invention (“Prestige”) as well as prior art Nappa andFurniture leathers, utilizing AE technology to determine the strength,robustness and stiffness of the three leathers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The essential method step of the present invention inheres, in pertinentpart, within the finishing step of the leather manufacturing process.All manner of tanning and retanning leather processes of all types aretherefore suitable to adaptation and improvement by the methodsdisclosed herein. For example, the present finishing process may bepracticed on chrome-tanned and non-chrome-tanned leathers alike, or onany type of hide as long as it is a natural collagen-containing animalskin. In order to establish context, the following brief summary ofbasic leather manufacturing is provided below.

The “beamhouse” process is generally the first step in the tanningprocess and includes soaking freshly skinned or cured hides in order toprevent their putrefaction prior to further processing. The curing steptends to remove moisture from the hides, causing them to become hard anddifficult to work with. As a result, the first wet process which is usedafter curing is the simple soaking and rehydrating of cured hides,followed by soaking in salts and other rehydrating agents. Aftersoaking, the hides may be fleshed to remove the excess tissue and toremove muscles or fat adhering to the hide. Hides are then dehaired toensure that the grain is clean and that the hair follicles are free ofhair roots, by using liming processes, scraping, or both. When liming isused, it is followed by deliming. If the hides have not previously beenfleshed, they may be fleshed after liming.

Bating is then performed, in which the hides are treated withproteolytic enzymes to purify the material prior to tanning. Batingloosens the hide structure and removes unwanted proteins, thus impartinga softness, stretch and flexibility to the leather. Bating and delimingmay be performed together in a combined deliming-bating solution. Batingis followed by “pickling,” or soaking in acid(s) and salt(s) in order tobring the hides to the desired pH for tanning.

The second phase, the “tanning” phase, involves the use ofchromium-containing tanning agents, vegetable-based tanning agents, orother tanning agents. The purpose of the tanning agents is to crosslinkthe collagen in the hides. Chrome tanning is performed using a one-bathprocess that is based on the reaction between the hide and a trivalentchromium salt, usually a basic chromium sulfate. Vegetable tanningagents are similarly applied to the hides by soaking the hides,sometimes for several days, in aqueous solutions of tanning agentsextracted from plant material parts such as fruits, pods, and roots.Typically, what is referred to as tanning also includes a “retanning”step, prior to finishing, comprising neutralization, retanning, dyeing,fat-liquoring, toggling and milling. More particularly, hides areneutralized, tanned again, often in a different tanning agent than wasoriginally used, in order to impart the desired properties, colored withwater-soluble dyes and treated by applying “fat-liquoring” agents,literally oil materials intended to replace the natural oils in thehides that were lost in all the previous processing. Toggling refers toclamping the hides onto screens, followed by oven drying the hides whilethey are stretched on the screens. Milling is then performed, that is,the retanned and toggled hides are tumbled in drums to soften them.

The first and second phases of leather production are well known in theart and do not form a central part of the present invention. At thispoint in the leather production process, the hides are referred to as“crust” leather, that is, leather which has been tanned and retanned butnot yet finished. Crust leather will not putrefy and has extraordinarynatural feel, but is not suitable for many, if any, applications becauseit is very soft, will not pass present automotive specifications, andreadily absorbs any oil or dirt with which it comes in contact and whichthereafter is impossible to remove.

Finishing of the crust leather according to the invention generallyinvolves the steps of base coating, optional clear top coating, andmilling in warm water, followed by toggling, further milling, staking,and application of one or more top coats followed by additional millingand staking. Of these finishing steps, the steps essential to thepresent invention are the base coat composition and its application, andthe warm water milling acid fixation step. The base coat to be used tocoat the crust leather, for the purpose of the present invention, is anaqueous composition containing both polyurethane and acrylic. Anyaqueous solutions or dispersions of polyurethane and acrylic coatingcompositions may be combined in order to practice the present invention.

In the preferred embodiment, the base coat contains about 60% of anaqueous acrylic composition containing, in pertinent part, about 20%acrylic and about 0.4% propanol (such as isopropanol), admixed withabout 2% polyurethane in aqueous dispersion together with 10% silicaduller by weight, about 22% silica drier by weight, and about 2-3%pigment by weight. Exemplary commercially available compositions whichmay be admixed include, without limitation, aqueous acrylic AB 810(Quaker Color division of McAdoo & Allen, Inc., Quakertown, Pa.),aliphatic polyurethane dispersion JK-233 (Quaker Color), BS 287 silicaduller (Quaker Color), BS 457 silica drier (Quaker Color), together withpigments known in the art. The polyurethane should be present in thebase coat in the amount of about 1-10% by weight, preferably about 2-4%by weight, most preferably about 2% by weight; the acrylic should bepresent in the composition in the amount of about 10-40% by weight, morepreferably about 15-30% by weight and most preferably about 20% byweight. Additional ingredients may be added according to the skill inthe art, but as long as the polyurethane and the acrylic are present inthe base coat, in the above amounts, the base coat may be used in thepractice of the present invention.

After base coating, warm water milling is conducted by loading the hidesinto drums and immersing and tumbling them in warm water containing atleast one acid fixation agent such as, without limitation, formic acid,acetic acid, propionic acid or hydrochloric acid. The hides are immersedin 150-300% by weight 45 degrees C. water and tumbled for about 1 hour.The water temperature may be varied from 30-55 degrees C., morepreferably 35-50 degrees C., most preferably 45 degrees C. It should beappreciated that inserting a warm water tumbling step into a leathermanufacturing process, immediately following base coating, is not onlynot customary but may be tantamount to heresy in the leathermanufacturing world. For one thing, leather manufacturers often separatetheir wet-treatment facilities from their coating facilities forenvironmental and other regulatory reasons, because wet-process leathertanning is not allowed in all industrial areas. Moreover, thetraditional wisdom of leather processing has assumed that allwet-processing should take place during the preparation of the crustleather, and that the focus of the finishing phase should be on thecoating of the leather, not the further saturation of the hides withexcesses of water. Hides thus warm water tumbled are subsequentlytoggled, milled, staked, top coated, milled and softened according tomeans known in the art. (Staking may be accomplished using a “Vibrasoft”machine, which is a specialized machine in which plates are equippedwith multiple engaging “fingers” (protrusions), which push and pull atthe leather surface to stretch it without perforating the hide.) Millingduring finishing often involves dry-tumbling the hides to soften them.Toggling, milling and staking are well known in the leather making arts.

Ordinarily, in order to obtain an aqueous polymer, such as polyacrylicacid or, for example, a dimethylolpropionic acid-containingpolyurethane, an amine group is admixed into the aqueous polymersolution in order to form a salt with the carboxylic acid group on thepolymer molecule. The amine complexes with the carboxylic acid to form acarboxylic acid salt, thus increasing the solubility of the associatedpolymer. In view of the nature of the solubility of the polymers, it isbelieved that upon the addition of the acid fixation agent, the carboxylgroups are competitively reassociated with hydrogen, due to the excessof hydrogen ions provided by the acid. It is believed, without anyintention to be bound by this theory, that this competitivereassociation, sometimes called “salting out,” causes the polymer basecoat to precipitate within the crevices of the leather, thus fixing thepolymer well within the grain.

After the base coat application and warm milling step is completed, thecrust leather is dried and optionally further applied with a smallamount of clear top coat prior to warm water milling. The amount of thebase coat to be applied to the crust leather may range up to the amountof base coat typically applied to Nappa leathers of the prior art, ormay be reduced to approximately half the amount of base coat compared tothe amounts traditionally applied to Nappa leather. For example, atypical Nappa leather according to the prior art can have applied to thecrust leather 3.0-4.0 grams per square foot of base coating composition,whereas in the practice of the present invention the base coat may beapplied in amounts as little as 1.0-2.0 grams per square foot or less,preferably 1.5-1.7 grams per square foot, as well as greater amounts.This reduction in the amount of base coat undoubtedly contributes to thenatural characteristics of the ultimate leather product prepared usingthe inventive finishing steps.

In view of the polymeric constituents of the base coat, the use of theacid fixation agent, and the use of the warm water milling step afterthe base coat has been applied and dried, even after subsequent topcoating a surprisingly natural feel to the leather is attained withoutloss of excellent adhesion or wear-resistance. In theory, although thereis no intention to be bound by the theory, it is believed that thecombination of at least two polymers in the aqueous base coatingcomposition, namely, polyurethane and acrylic, creates an effective yetmigratable coating on the crust leather, particularly in view of thesalting out precipitation effect. The coating thus formed is believed tobe able to migrate, during warm water milling, to descend into thelowermost crevices of the grain of the leather, in order to exposesomewhat the grain and hair cell features which would otherwise becovered more thickly with base coat. Regardless of the mechanism bywhich the invention operates, however, empirically the combination ofthe base coat, the acid fixation and the warm water milling givesleather with improved natural feel while simultaneously creating leathercapable of passing all major automotive wear-resistance and other tests.Data objectively corroborating various features which correlate with theimproved natural feel are presented hereinafter.

Finished leather can be subjected to various analytical and experimentalmethodologies in order to determine qualitative and quantitativecharacteristics of different leather samples. Such characteristics canvary substantially depending on the leather finishing techniquesemployed. Analytical techniques used in the industry include, withoutlimitation, international wear evaluation that consists of the followingtests: Wyzenbeek wear-high wear; taber abrasion; Veslic dry, wet andsweat colorfastness; Gakushin friction; traverse abrasion; pilling wear;and Honda abrasion; softness evaluation including G.M. pliability, BLC,frank stiffness, relative stiffness, Ford stiffness, bending, andRenault softness; long term Xenon evaluation which includes lightresistance as quantified by change in color properties as measured bydelta L, delta E, delta a, delta b, percent shrinkage, and glosschanges; wet heat cycle test; water vapor permeability test; and Nissanslide friction test. Experimental methodologies that are used toquantify typical leather characteristics include, without limitation,acoustic emission analysis and microscopic analysis. Scanning andtransmission electron miscroscopy, as well as polarized lightmicroscopy, can be used to study how various surface treatments affectthe break (wrinkle) pattern observed on the leather surfaces whenleather samples are placed in a U-shaped “half pipe” jig typicallyhaving a diameter of 70 mm and attached thereto with backing tape oradhesive. Using such microscopic techniques, the relationship of thedegree of the break pattern to surface and cross-section morphology canbe examined. It is well known in the art that the nature and severity ofthe break pattern defines the acceptability of the leather product for aparticular application, such as automotive leather. Specifically,scanning electron microscopy can be used to characterize the surfacemorphology of leather samples, transmission electron microscopy can beused on thin sections of leather samples to resolve structural features,and polarized light microscopy can be used to examine the cross-sectionsof thick sections of leather samples.

The present finishing method may be used in any other leathermanufacturing process, for grain leather, embossed leather, or correctedleather, particularly those hides destined for automotive use. Theleathers may be chrome-tanned or non-chrome-tanned, may be natural incolor or include dyes and pigments, and may be retanned, fat-liquored ortop coated with any materials known in the art. The central feature ofthe invention is the combination of the particular base coating stepwith the warm water milling step which follows the application of thebase coat, and this central feature may be transplanted into numerousother leather processes, especially for the automotive industry.

Although the invention has been described above, the following Examplesare illustrative.

EXAMPLE 1

Cattle hides were collected and treated from hair removal throughtanning and retanning, toggling and drying to create crust leather. Abase coat in the amount of 1.5-1.7 grams per square foot was applied tothe surface of the crust leather and allowed to dry at about 75-100degrees C. A thin layer of clear top coat was applied immediately overthe base coat and likewise allowed to dry at about 75-100 degrees C. Thehides were then loaded into a drum with 150% by weight 45 degree C.water and tumbled for an hour. The hides were then subsequently gentlysqueezed dry without rolling, toggled, milled for 8 hours without addedwater, staked, sprayed with top coat, allowed to dry, and treated withfinal staking and milling treatments to soften them. The resultingleather had a much softer, warmer hand and feel than traditional Nappaleather, displayed excellent “break” in the leather, and yet satisfiedmajor automotive leather specifications in test results described below.

The leather finished according to the above, treated with a single topcoat, was subjected to abrasion testing using dry white felt, wet whitefelt and artificial-perspiration soaked white felt repeatedly drawnacross the leather. In order to achieve a 5 on a scale of 15, the felthad to remain free of any pigment from the leather. In tests involvingmultiple repetitions of abrasion by each felt, with repetition numbersexceeding the repetitions necessary for commercial automotive qualitycontrol, the leather described above consistently scored a “5.”

The same leather hides were tested according to standard automotivetesting procedures which test adhesion, flexometer and abrasion asmeasured in Newtons (N). While only 3 N was necessary to meet theadhesion test, the hides exhibited 9.63 N. The minimum grade of 4 N onthe flexometer 20.000 test was necessary to meet automotive standards,and the hides exceeded this standard with 5 N.

The same leather hides were tested according to certain additional,international test standards. The Toyota test method 5.9.2B was used tosubject the hides to 10,000 cycles per each five minutes of 1.8 KGFtension and 2.8 weight, but the leather was able to withstand 30,000cycles. Likewise, the Nissan NES M0155-15.2 test (taber abrasion, CS10wheel, 1,000 grams, 1,000 cycles) was used to test the hides, whichsurvived 3,000 cycles. While the Mercedes test DIN 53,339 requiresVeslic rub, dry, 2,000 cycles, the leather hides described above wereable to withstand 6,000 cycles. All of these test results are surprisingin view of the soft, natural hand and feel of the leather; in the past,leather subjected to tests such as these have been heavily coated andheavily compromised as to aesthetics.

EXAMPLE 2

A quantity of hides were treated in exactly the same way, from hairremoval to finishing, except that a warm water milling step was addedafter the base coat was applied to some of the hides and the remaininghides were base coated without a subsequent water milling step. The basecoat enumerated in Example 1 was used in the amount of 3.0-3.5 grams persquare foot of hide on all the hides; roughly double the amount of basecoat as used in Example 1. Notwithstanding the additional amount of basecoat, the hides that were warm water tumbled displayed significantlyimproved hand, feel, break (as judged in the half pipe test), softnessand apparent warmth as compared to the hides that were not warm watermilled. The hides which had been warm water milled subsequent to basecoating also had a more pronounced visual appearance of leather grainand hair cells compared to the hides which had not been warm watermilled.

EXAMPLE 3

Finished hides of four chrome-tanned prior art leathers (“Vision,” “NewFrontier,” “Classique,” “Salon”), as well as a chrome-tanned leather ofthe present invention (“Prestige”), were subjected to volatile organichydrocarbon (VOC) analysis in order to determine the total VOC content(mg/kg) of the leathers, using the Toyota Tedlar Bag Method. Of the fivefinished hides tested, “Prestige” had the lowest VOC content of 0.05mg/kg. The other four prior art leathers had substantially higher VOCcontents, ranging from 0.6 mg/kg up to 2.6 mg/kg.

EXAMPLE 4

Finished hides of four chrome-tanned prior art leathers (“Vision,” “NewFrontier,” “Classique,” “Salon”), as well as a chrome-tanned leather ofthe present invention (“Prestige”), were subjected to formaldehydeanalysis using the Toyota Tedlar Bag, IUC 19 Photometric, and IUC 19HPLC test methods in order to determine the formaldehyde concentration(mg/kg) in the leathers. Using the Toyota Tedlar Bag method, “Prestige”leather exhibited no formaldehyde concentration; “Salon,” “Classique,”and “New Frontier” had 0.01 mg/kg formaldehyde concentration; and“Vision” had 0.05 mg/kg formaldehyde concentration. Using the IUC 19Photometric method, “Prestige,” “Salon,” “Classique” and “New Frontier”had less than 0.1 mg/kg formaldehyde concentration. Finally, using theIUC 19 HPLC method, “Prestige” had the lowest formaldehyde concentrationof 1 mg/kg. The other four prior art finished hides had formaldehydeconcentrations ranging from 2.5 mg/kg (“Salon”) up to 20 mg/kg(“Vision”).

EXPERIMENT 1 Microscopy Analysis 1. Materials and Methods

A. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

SEM was used to examine samples of leather (“Prestige”) preparedaccording to Example 1, as well as samples of prior art Nappa and BlackFurniture leathers. SEM uses a highly focused electron beam (less than10 nm diameter) which can be scanned in a raster on the sample surface.The intensity of secondary electrons produced at each point is used toform a picture of the sample. Magnification factors from 10× to 100,000×can be obtained. The depth of field is inherently quite large whichallows the micrographs to be in focus at all points across a roughsurface. In addition, SEM does not suffer from light reflecting off atodd angles and being lost from view, a problem encountered with lightmicroscopy.

Leather samples were submitted as approximately 9 inch×9 inch sheets.The sheets were initially examined using a Bausch and Lomb StereoZoomstereoscope. A small one-inch square piece was sectioned from eachsample for scanning electron micrograph examination. An adhesive-backedpaper was applied to the backside of the leather products. Each leathersample was then prepared in two ways. A section was applied flat onto analuminum mount using a carbon double-sided adhesive tape. A secondsection was affixed with backing tape into a U-shaped half-pipe with aconstructive 70 mm diameter. This device simulates the concave curvatureused in break pattern testing. The samples were gold coated using an SPISupplies Sputter Coater Module System to ensure electrical conductivityin the SEM. The analysis was conducted using a scanning electronmicroscope manufactured by JEOL (USA), Inc. of Peabody, Mass.Representative scanning electron micrographs were obtained on tworepresentative areas in series form at the magnifications of 10×, 30×,100×, 300×, and 1,000× using 0 degree tilt and 25 KeV. Images werecaptured digitally directly from the scanning electron microscope usingthe Spectrum Mono software package.

B. Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)

PLM was used to examine samples of present leather (“Prestige”), as wellas samples of prior art Nappa and Black Furniture leathers. PLM is amethod for determining the unique optical crystallographic properties ofvarious crystal phases in a sample. PLM is an invaluable tool in theidentification of crystalline materials and, when used in conjunctionwith dispersion staining, is typically used in the identification ofminerals such as asbestos. The combination of PLM with dispersionstaining makes it possible to systematically identify transparentsubstances by their dispersion colors in known refractive index media.The technique can be used to examine thick sections of polymers in orderto determine their crystalline and spherilitic structure, surface (skin)effects, and inconsistencies in morphology which can be caused by thelack of homogeneity in the polymers. PLM methodology can be used toexamine materials prepared under similar conditions and to obtaininformation on sections with regard to their gross similarities ordifferences.

PLM was performed on the leather samples using a Vickers M41 PhotoPlanLight Microscope marketed by Vickers' Instruments of Malden, Mass.Sections of the leather samples were cut and mounted in a 1.550Refractive Index Liquid and a glass coverslip was added. The sectionswere examined using brightfield light and representative images weretaken at 141×.

Dimensional measurements made on all of the micrograph images areaccurate to within 10% of their stated values.

2. Results

A. SEM

Flat surfaces of the present leather (“Prestige”) (FIGS. 1, 7, 13, 19,25) were found to exhibit a fairly uniform surface structure with anumber of “pits” believed to correspond to hair cells or pores. Highermagnifications revealed a coated surface that contained a highconcentration of particles, approximately 10 .mu.m in size. Curvedsurfaces of Prestige leather (FIGS. 2, 8, 14, 20, 26) revealed similarstructures, with the addition of a series of shallow ridges. The peak topeak distance between adjacent shallow ridges were 1 mm or less.

Flat surfaces of prior art Nappa leather (FIGS. 3, 9, 15, 21, 27)revealed a smooth surface with little evidence of hair cells or pores. Anumber of ridge-like features were observed on the surface. Highermagnifications revealed a higher concentration of coating particles thanwhat was observed with Prestige leather. Curved surfaces of Nappaleather (FIGS. 4, 10, 16, 22, 28) revealed significantly larger ridgesthan those observed on the Prestige leather. The peak to peak distancebetween the ridges ranged from 1 mm to several millimeters.

Flat surfaces of prior art Black Furniture leather (5, 11, 17, 23, 29)more closely resembled Prestige leather than Nappa leather because ofthe presence of hair cells or pores. The pores observed in the leather,however, appeared less distinct and more coated with particles thanthose observed in the Prestige leather. The surface of the BlackFurniture leather also appeared smoother than Prestige leather, whichwas likely due to the smaller size of the coating particles found on theBlack Furniture leather. Curved surfaces of Black Furniture leather(FIGS. 6, 12, 18, 24, 30) revealed sharp channels and ridges, as well asflat islands. Some deeper channels with an almost crack-like appearancewere also observed. The peak to peak distance between the ridges rangedfrom 1 mm to 2 mm.

B. PLM

The leather of the present invention (“Prestige”) (FIG. 31) revealed acoating layer on the thick sections. The leather substrate, or skin(Area A), the coatings on the surface (Area B), and the epoxy layer(Area E) can all be observed clearly. The coatings appeared to fill indeep pore regions and extend down well below the surface. The coatings,however, did not appear to totally fill the pores. The coating thicknesswas approximately 30-40 .mu.m.

Cross sections of prior art Nappa leather (FIG. 32) revealed a coatinglayer of approximately 90 .mu.m, which was two to three times thickerthan what was observed on the Prestige leather. The coating layerappeared continuous with no apparent breaks, and pore areas weregenerally not infiltrated by the coating material, although there wasevidence of some penetration of the coating into the surface of theleather.

Prior art Black Furniture leather (FIG. 33) revealed a thin coatinglayer approximately 20 .mu.m in thickness. The coating layer wasgenerally uniform with some areas, typically around the pores, having athinner coating than other areas. The coating did not fill the poresalthough it did extend into some of the underlying voids.

3. Discussion

Microscopic analysis indicates that the nature and extent of the coatingwas at least partially responsible for the observed break patterns,which suggests a complex mechanism for the formation of the observedbreak patterns in the three types of leather examined. The leather ofthe present invention (“Prestige”) revealed a relatively thin coatinglayer with unfilled pores which allowed the surface of the leather tofold along lines from pore to pore, thus minimizing the uplifting of theridge areas and producing a desirable break pattern.

Prior art Nappa leather revealed a heavy coating layer that almostcompletely filled the few pores that were present and appeared to formsome of the surface ridge features. This resulted in leather with nopore features that could “absorb” the folding of the leather. Bendingthe leather created large, wide ridges, and revealed that the thickcoating layer was more restrictive than the present leather,characteristics that become apparent only when the leather is affixedwith backing tape to a substrate.

In prior art Black Furniture leather, pores were observed; however,either they were not as deep as the pores observed with the presentleather or they may have been partially filled with coating material. Anembossing feature on the surface of the leather was also observed, whichresulted in the formation of a number of deep channels. When the leatherwas curved, it appeared to create folds along the channels that had agreater spacing and a bigger break pattern than what was observed ineither the present (“Prestige”) or Nappa leathers.

4. Conclusions

The leather of the present invention (“Prestige”) revealed numerous haircells or pore structures that appeared to be responsible for minimizingthe height of ridge formation during break testing. Prior art Nappaleather was observed to have a thick coating with little or no exposedpore structures. Curving the Nappa leather resulted in the formation oflarge, unacceptable ridges. Prior art Black Furniture leather revealed anumber of pores, however they were not deep or were partially filledwith coating. Embossing of the Black Furniture leather created deepchannels. Curving the Black Furniture leather created folds along thechannels that had greater spacing, larger ridges, and a bigger breakpattern than what was observed in the either the present (“Prestige”) orNappa leathers, with the present leather having the smallest peak topeak ridge distance of 1 mm or less.

EXPERIMENT 2 Acoustic Emission Technology

The analysis herein was conducted in association with the EasternRegional Research Center of the United States Department of Agriculture.Acoustic emission (AE) technology is an experimental method capable ofcharacterizing the physical/mechanical properties of leather andprovides a nondestructive way to monitor the quality of leather withoutdamaging the leather in the process. AE technology was used to measurethe flexing endurance of the leather coatings of the leather of thepresent invention (“Prestige”), as well as prior art Nappa and BlackFurniture leathers. In effect, this technique is able to “listen” andanalyze sounds emitted by leather as it is being stretched. Theparticular parameters evaluated were break pattern, tensile strength,initial strain energy, and toughness.

1. Break Evaluation

To evaluate break patterns, each leather sample was bent into a 16 cmhalf pipe jig and affixed thereto with backing tape. A special sensormoved across the surface at a constant weight and speed. Fibers of theleather were compressed, causing the sides of each fiber to rub againstone another, thus emitting acoustic signals. When the leather was bent,this compressed the grain, which, because of its attachment to thehalf-pipe jig with backing tape, produced tension in the underlyingcorium layer. Gaps or “looseness” between the grain and corium layersgave off more AE energy per count because the grain was not firmlyattached to the corium and therefore rubbed against the corium as thesensor moved along the surface of the leather. (The looser theconnection between the grain and corium layers, the poorer the breakpattern, which results in a higher energy per count ratio).

The leather of the present invention (“Prestige”), as well as prior artNappa and Black Furniture leathers, were subjected to AE breakevaluation. Of the three leathers tested, the present leather had thelowest AE energy/count ratio of 1.6 or less. Black Furniture leather hadan intermediate AE energy/count ratio of 1.7, and Nappa leather had thehighest AE energy/count ratio of 2.0 (FIG. 12). Thus, when secured withbacking tape to a substrate, of the three leathers that were tested, thepresent leather (“Prestige”) exhibited the best break pattern. Thisindicates that the grain and corium layers of the present leather werethe most intact, whereas the gaps between the grain and corium layers ofBlack Furniture leather were more pronounced. Nappa leather had thepoorest break pattern, indicating that this leather contained the mostgaps and “looseness” between its grain and corium layers.

2. Tensile Strength

Tensile strength is one of the most important qualities of leather.Ordinarily, it is measured by stretching a leather sample until itbreaks and recording the degree of force needed for breakage. Thisoperation is both time consuming and destructive. Using AE technology,leather needs only to be stretched a small amount in order to determineits tensile strength.

There is a cumulative correlation between the tensile strength ofleather and initial AE energy. Thus, AE technology was used to determinethe tensile strength of the leather of the present invention(“Prestige”), as well as prior art Nappa and Black Furniture leathers.The present leather and Black Furniture leather exhibited comparabletensile strength that was approximately 30% higher than what wasobserved in Nappa leather (FIG. 13). Thus, according to this analysis,Nappa leather was weaker and more prone to breakage than either thepresent leather or Black Furniture leather.

3. Initial Strain Energy

Initial strain energy indicates the softness of the leather and itsresistance to small deformations. Initial strain energy is defined asthe energy needed to stretch leather to a 10% strain level (area underthe stress/strain curve from 0-10% strain). The higher the initialstrain energy, the stiffer the leather. Initial strain energy testing isused to characterize the softness of leather taking into account thenon-viscoelasticity of leather.

The leather of the present invention (“Prestige”), as well as prior artNappa and Black Furniture leathers, were subjected to AE initial strainevaluation. The present leather had the lowest initial strain energy,prior art Black Furniture leather had an intermediate value, and priorart Nappa leather had the highest initial strain energy (FIG. 14). Theresults demonstrated that the present leather was approximately 50%softer than prior art Black Furniture leather and approximately 25%softer than Nappa leather. The results also indicated that the presentleather exhibited the greatest resistance to small leather deformationswhen compared to either the Nappa or Black Furniture leathers.

4. Toughness Index (TI)

The degree of toughness exhibited by leather correlates with thestrength, robustness and softness of the leather. Furthermore, leatherhaving a stiffer grain correlates with poor strength. It is well knownin the art that poor strength and a stiff grain results in a poor breakpattern.

The degree of toughness of the leather of the present invention(“Prestige”), as well as prior art Nappa and Black Furniture leathers,was evaluated by determining their respective toughness indices. Thepresent leather and Black Furniture leather exhibited similar toughnessindices that was approximately 45% higher than Nappa leather (FIG. 15).Thus, when Nappa leather is bent when affixed with backing tape to asubstrate, its usual good break formation is altered, and it exhibitsthe least strength, robustness, and softness of the three leathers,which correlates with an undesirable break pattern.

Although the invention has been described with particularity above, withreference to particular compositions, methods and materials, theinvention is to be limited only insofar as is set forth in theaccompanying claims.

1. A natural grain leather comprising: a natural grain leather sheethaving a grain surface area, said grain surface area having a pluralityof hair cells therein; and said grain surface area having a coatingthereon, wherein when the natural grain leather sheet is curved over aU-shaped half pipe, said half pipe having a diameter of about 70 mm,said natural grain leather sheet folds into a series of upturns thatform shallow ridges, each shallow ridge having a peak, wherein saidnatural grain leather has a peak to peak distance from an adjacentshallow ridge of 1 mm or less, wherein said leather withstands 30,000cycles on a Toyota 5.9.2B test, survives 3,000 cycles on a Nissan NESM0155-15.2 test and withstands 6,000 cycles on a Mercedes DIN 53,339test.
 2. The natural grain leather according to claim 1, wherein saidcoating of said grain surface area contains two polymers, wherein saidtwo polymers are polyurethane and acrylic.
 3. The natural grain leatheraccording to claim 2, wherein said coating has a plurality of particles,and further wherein said particles have a diameter of about 10 μm. 4.The natural grain leather according to claim 3, wherein said naturalgrain leather sheet exhibits a volatile organic hydrocarbon content lessthan about 0.1 mg/kg.
 5. The natural grain leather according to claim 4,wherein said natural grain leather sheet exhibits a formaldehydeconcentration less than about 2 mg/kg.